Words From The Warden

Change
Last week, while we were camping at Maumee Bay State Park, Bill, a former coworker from Eastwood High School, came to visit. He lives in Elmore, about 25 minutes from our campsite. After I left EHS, he succeeded me as athletic director, attendance officer, and transportation coordinator. Like me, he held those roles for four years before leaving to serve as a principal in several districts. Bill was a great teammate and remains a terrific person. We reminisced about students bringing shotguns to school on the opening day of hunting season. They often showed their new firearms to the vocational agriculture teacher or our principal, and I don’t recall anyone expressing concern. That certainly wouldn’t happen today. Times have changed.

In 2004, the Big Ten became the only conference in the country to use instant replay for regular-season conference games. The final push came from Joe Paterno in 2003 after Penn State’s 21–20 loss to Ohio State in Happy Valley. An official, not attending to his responsibilities failed to see an incomplete pass which was then ruled to be an Ohio State catch. The call helped the Buckeyes score. Penn State then drove down the field and attempted a 60-yard field goal, but it fell about two yards short.

I remember the game vividly because I was one of its officials.

The Big Ten tested replay in 2004, and the NCAA adopted it as a rule in 2005. At first, replay was intended to correct obvious mistakes—calls that even three guys watching from a bar would agree should be changed. Today, it addresses both major errors and the smallest details.

Replay was a positive change, and it continues to evolve.

Change is an inescapable part of life. Sometimes it brings improvement; other times, it creates challenges. And sometimes, change simply means finding a different way to reach the same goal.

Mainline churches, including St. Luke’s, must approach the work of inviting, welcoming, gathering, and transforming people differently than they did in the “good old days.”

There was a time when people attended church not only to worship, but also to build relationships and make professional connections. Over time, that pattern changed. Even before the pandemic, many churches were not growing: for every three people who drifted away, perhaps three others arrived. They were maintaining attendance rather than gaining ground.

For many congregations, survival has replaced growth. Moving forward will require new ways of connecting with people while remaining faithful to the same mission.

Our baptismal covenant calls us to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. It also invites us to help create the kind of community many people, especially young adults, are seeking: a place where they feel safe, find belonging, and can openly explore life’s deepest questions.

St. Luke’s can help provide that community. To do so, however, we must rethink how we invite, welcome, and gather people. Our mission remains the same, but the way we carry it out must change.

We have to change.

In today’s world, we are called to provide a safe and secure space while also creating an atmosphere of radical love and hospitality. As the world—and our lives—continues to change, we can take comfort in the promise of Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What a powerful and reassuring truth.

Change also gives us an opportunity to release old patterns and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. As Scripture reminds us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Peace,

Henry Zaborniak, Senior Warden